'There was never man handled as I am' : the legacy and significance of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, 1558-1660

Abstract

For centuries, historians and theologians have acknowledged the pre-eminent role of Thomas Cranmer in the English Reformation. However, his significance as an enduring religious influence in the century following his martyrdom has not received close investigation. This thesis traces the legacy and significance of Cranmer from the Elizabethan Settlement to the Restoration, focussing especially upon important mid-seventeenth-century religious debates. Interpretations of Cranmer during 1558-1660 provide strong indications of where English Protestantism stood theologically, and how highly many Protestants valued the reforms enacted under Cranmer and his colleagues during the reign of Edward I (1547-1553). This legacy has a significant bearing upon how one interprets English Protestantism, as it demonstrates a commitment to the Reformed theology of Cranmer's later years and a lack of continuity with Roman Catholic antecedents. Furthermore, mid-seventeenth century interpretations of Cranmer demonstrate the importance of religious factors in the English Civil Wars. Changing interpretations of Cranmer by radical puritans and Laudians highlight the innovative nature of religious reforms leading to and during the hostilities of the 1640s, whilst the use of Cranmer by moderates within the English Church reveals a longstanding reverence for and adherence to the doctrine of the Edwardian reformers. Thus, this examination reveals the construction of Cranmer as a universally approved Protestant hero during the Elizabethan era, lasting into the 1630s. This came undone in the mid-seventeenth century, however, as debates over the eucharist, episcopacy, and liturgy forced Laudians, Presbyterians, and especially radical puritans, to re-evaluate Cranmer and the role he played in the Edwardian Reformation.